[A comparative study of body temperature using rectal and tympanic measurement]

Area of Science:

• Internal Medicine
• Medical Devices
• Clinical Thermometry

Background:

• Tympanic temperature measurement is increasingly utilized in clinical settings.
• Its accuracy in internal medicine services requires thorough evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the accuracy of tympanic temperature measurement compared to rectal temperature.
• To evaluate the reliability of various tympanic thermometers in detecting fever.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of rectal and tympanic temperatures in 37 patients.
• Assessment of tympanic temperatures by two independent examiners.
• Evaluation of ten different tympanic thermometers across hospital departments.

Main Results:

• No significant difference was found between left and right ear tympanic temperatures or between examiners.
• A statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) was observed between average tympanic (36.88°C) and rectal (37.36°C) temperatures.
• The correlation coefficient between tympanic and rectal temperatures was low (0.77).
• Tympanic thermometers detected only 29% of febrile patients (Kappa = 0.406), underestimating high fevers.
• Variability in readings was noted among different tympanic thermometer models.

Conclusions:

• Tympanic temperature measurement is a convenient method but lacks sufficient sensitivity for accurate fever detection.
• Rectal temperature measurement remains a more reliable indicator for identifying fever in internal medicine settings.